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Language Assessment - Coggle Diagram
Language Assessment
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Reliability
indicates whether the scores on a test gives an accurate result or whether the test consistently yields the same results in a given population
Learner-related reliability - Was the learner coping with factors which could hinge their testing capacity?
Test - retest reliability - If the learner took the test twice, would they get the same results?
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Confusing rubrics - Learners do not fully comprehend the instructions and this impediment results in obtaining scores which are lower than otherwise would have been.
Threatens test - retest reliability.
Subjective tests - such as an oral interview or a test involving the production of a written text may be unreliable due to lack of clearly defined criteria.
Threatens mark-remark reliability.
Environmental conditions during testing / Test Administration - Are there any background noises? Is the audio equipment properly adjusted? Is the temperature of the room appropriate to the external environmental conditions? Has the seating of the students properly arranged prior to the testing? Are there congenial invigilators during the testing?
Threatens test - retest reliability.
Text reliability - Is the source reliable and has its veracity been cross-checked to ensure quality and objectivity?
Validity
The degree to which the test actually measures what it is intended to measure (Brown, 2001, p.387)
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Consequential validity - Backwash / Washback effectWashback refers to the impact that a test has on the teaching and learning done in preparation for it."the utilisation of external language tests to affect and drive foreign language learning...this phenomenon is the result of the strong authority of external testing and the major impact it has on the lives of test takers." Messick (1996, p. 241)The nature and extent of washback
- is seen as a consequence of high-stakes exams
- can make teachers and learners do things ‘they would not necessarily otherwise do because of the test’
The direction of washback
• Washback is seen as being potentially positive (beneficial),
negative (harmful) or neutral‘Washback’ and ‘Impact’
- ‘washback’ is ‘frequently used to refer to the effects of tests on teaching and learning ’whereas ‘impact’ refers to ‘any of the effects that tests may have on individuals (micro impact),
policies or practices, within the classroom, the school, the educational system, or society as a whole (macro impact)’
Washback can be positive / beneficial
Positive washback is said to result when a testing procedure encourages ‘good’ teaching practice; for example, an oral proficiency test is introduced in the expectation that it will promote the teaching of speaking skills.
Washback can be negative / harmful
Negative washback is said to occur when a test’s content or format is based on a narrow definition of language ability, and so constrains the teaching/learning context
Before the test:
Are the environmental conditions safe or do they cause inconvenience and anxiety?
After the test:
Do learners receive positive feedback that can enable them to further develop their skills?
The main purpose of Washback is to prompt both test administrators and test users to reflect on the results and provide feedback on their strengths and weaknesses and enable learners to learn from the test and teachers to upgrade their skills and diagnose what needs to be covered in the following lessons.
Construct validity
reflects an accepted theory of language use and tests only the subskills / competencies that would naturally be involved
Predictive validity
measures whether the test identifies accurately whether the learner would be able to cope linguistically with a real life situation e.g. IELTS for academic purposes
Content validity
a test quality concerned with whether the test under consideration tests only what has been covered in the preceding course (progress test), the preceding course syllabus (achievement test), or test specification (proficiency test)
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Face validity
measures whether the test takers / users and immediate environment (parents, friends, teachers and institutions) believe that it is a good test
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